CCAs and Energy ResilienceRCEA’s Airport Microgrid Partnership

Presentation for Clean Power Exchange

April 17, 2019

Outline• Background on RCEA and its CCA program• Project overview• Project funding• Project partners• Value of the project to RCEA as a CCA

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Established 2003. Local government joint powers agency of the County of Humboldt, its 7 incorporated cities, and the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District.

Programs:

• Energy efficiency and demand-side management

• Clean transportation

• Community energy and climate action planning

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RCEA’s Community Choice Energy Program• Launched May 2017 (7th CCA in CA)

• 93% participation rate

• Base program 40% renewable; 100% renewable option

• 700 GWh/yr load, 130 MW peak

• Board objective: maximize local renewables while

keeping rates competitive with PG&E

• Portfolio includes PPAs with local biomass plants using

waste from local forest products mills

• Balance of portfolio is short-term procurement from

various western states resources

• Issued RFP in February for long-term renewables

contracts; currently evaluating responses4

Origins of the Airport Microgrid

County of Humboldt’s driver

RCEA’s driver

PG&E’s driver

The secret sauce: SERC, a local partner with real-world microgrid expertise

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ACV Airport Microgrid Project

• Will serve 18 PG&E electric accounts (most are CCA participants)• Distribution infrastructure owned, operated, and maintained by PG&E• 2 MW Solar and 2 MW/8 MWh battery owned and operated by RCEA• Existing generators at ACV and USCG will still provide back-up• Cost: $5M from CEC plus $6M cost share from RCEA• Cost share contributions from other partners

AirportMicrogrid

ProposedPV/batterysystem

Janes Creek 1103 Feeder

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Project Partners

Partial funding provided by the California Energy Commission7

What’s the Value Proposition for RCEA?

• With EPIC grant from CEC, net cost to RCEA is well below market• Learning experience for RCEA and Humboldt County in developing a

portfolio of local, utility-scale renewable energy resources (local biomass plants built in the 1980s are the only examples to date)• Fully meets RCEA’s energy storage mandate under AB 2514 for the

foreseeable future• Partially fulfills SB 350 mandate for load-serving entities to own or have

under long-term contract 65% of their required RPS resources 8

Thank you

Richard Engel � (707) 269-1700 � rengel@redwoodenergy.org9